Our deepest condolences go to Professor Emeritus Vardaman M. Buckalew Jr., M.D., and his wife, Sherry, on the tragic death of their son, Jeffrey Buckalew, his wife, Corinne, and their two young children. The family’s small plane crashed yesterday in New Jersey.

Seventeen alumni and their families collectively have committed more than $10.5 million to Wake Forest School of Medicine. The group, representing current and past Medical Alumni Association (MAA) leaders, the other members of the MAA Board of Directors to cumulatively match or exceed the gift with commitments of their own over the next year.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Wake Forest University have received a $2.5 million multi-year grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to create the Wells Fargo Faculty Scholars Program. The program aims to accelerate the growth of innovative research conducted at both institutions, which are the leading economic drivers in the Piedmont Triad.

Preclinical Surgical Services (PSS) atWake Forest Baptist Medical Center has partnered with the Veterinary Bioscience Institute (VBI) of Harleysville, Pa., in the making of educational materials for veterinary and biomedical personnel and institutions.

The holidays are upon us and, for many Americans that means some degree of weight gain and the subsequent New Year’s resolution to diet. However, shedding the pounds may have some negative consequences on the overall health of older women if the weight loss is not maintained, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

A next-generation defibrillator that provides more treatment options and will likely reduce readmissions for patients with heart failure has been implanted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center – the first hospital in North Carolina to do so.

When it comes to manufacturing tissues and organs to cure disease and save lives, regenerative medicine is just like any other industry where automation, quality and efficiency are keys to success. That’s why Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine is teaming up with North Carolina State University’s Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering with the goal of applying the latest advances in industrial engineering to the new field of regenerative medicine.

Research led by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’sInstitute for Regenerative Medicine has been named one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of the year by Time magazine. The research team was the first in the world to use patients’ own cells to build tailor-made urinary tubes in the lab and successfully replace damaged tissue in five boys.

Interventional cardiologists have waited 30 years for a successful way to clear atherosclerotic plaque from a particularly complicated type of heart vessel. Now clinical researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are testing a new investigational device to determine if it will work.

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are teaming up for a research project aimed at advancing the treatment of military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The Wake Forest School of Medicine’s research center that focuses on brain tumors will be named in honor of the former Wake Forest University president who helped direct funding to the cause both before and during his battle with the disease.

William B. Applegate, M.D., M.P.H., M.A.C.P., Wayne B. Jonas, M.D., and Joseph L. Jorizzo, M.D., have been recognized with awards from the Medical Alumni Association (MAA) of the Wake Forest School of Medicine.

A festive winter village full of shops, a gingerbread village, holiday sounds and a collection of more than 60 elaborately decorated Christmas trees will highlight the 24th annual Festival of Trees. The annual November tradition in the Education Building at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds benefits patients and programs at Brenner Children’s Hospital at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

For the first time, researchers have combined gene therapy and stem cell transplantation to successfully reverse the severe, crippling bleeding disorder hemophilia A in large animals, opening the door to the development of new therapies for human patients.

The poor safety profile of the smoking-cessation drug varenicline (Chantix™) makes it unsuitable for first-line use, according to a study published in the Nov. 2 edition of the journal PLoS One, an online publication of the Public Library of Science.

A new therapy being studied in non-human primates by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues is demonstrating promise as a potential tool for combating cardiovascular disease by increasing good cholesterol and lowering triglycerides in the blood.

The Federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center a grant of $86,495 per year for three years to support expansion of the Pediatric Enhanced Care Program, which serves children with chronic illnesses who require special services, into five rural counties near Winston-Salem.

Anthony Atala, M.D., chair and professor of urology and director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, is one of 65 new members named to the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Family matters, especially when it comes to African-Americans and living kidney donation. In a study conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, researchers found that African-Americans donate almost exclusively to family members for living kidney transplants, as compared to Caucasians.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – October 3, 2011 – Both women and men go to great lengths, ranging from at-home-kits to cosmetic bleaching, to make their smile full of pearly whites. But what if there were more natural ways to keep teeth white instead of experiencing the repercussions of using these chemicals?

Intensive control of blood sugar levels beyond standard targets provides no additional protection against cognitive decline in older people with diabetes than standard treatment, according to a national study coordinated by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will open the Brenner Children’s Hospital Pediatrics – Clemmons in the new Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Plaza located at the corner of Lewisville-Clemmons Road and Peace Haven Road in February 2012.

Lead author and researcher Marissa Howard-McNatt, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, said there has been a national trend of women with breast cancer choosing to have both breasts removed even though they only have cancer in one breast.

A study by epidemiologists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues suggests that a high intake of calcium causes prostate cancer among African-American men who are genetically good absorbers of the mineral.

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center report that sickle cell trait is not a risk factor for the development of severe kidney disease in African-Americans. This study, published in the August online issue of Kidney International, contradicts findings from a 2010 study that first suggested that having one copy of the sickle cell gene was a kidney disease risk factor.

Wake Forest School of Medicine is one of six leading research institutions across the country to be chosen by Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) to enhance the development, testing and implementation of new automotive safety innovations.

Once again, the American Heart Association/AmericanStroke Association has awarded Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center its top quality award for stroke care as measured by the Get WithThe Guidelines℠ program.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – September 7, 2011 – Now that school has started, children will face several new experiences, including the possible run-in with the school bully. Many parents do not realize this harassment can happen at school or even at home.

Being small is a big deal, especially when there’s a medical emergency. That’s why Brenner Children’s Hospital – the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in North Carolina – has opened a new emergency facility tailored to the unique needs of its young patients from across the region.

Wake Forest Baptist and Wake Forest University have joined research institutions from across the country in an effort to accelerate the deployment of ultra-high-speed computer networks in their communities.

Wake Forest Baptist Health will be teaming up with the Matthew Gfeller Foundation on Saturday, July 30, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., to co-host the Matthew Gfeller Sports Safety Spectacular at BB&T Field. This all-day event is aimed at tackling the diagnosis and treatment of sports related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in Forsyth County and will include NFL Hall of Famers and former NFL coaching legends Dan Reeves and Jim Mora.

Smoking cigarettes is a dangerous habit that many are struggling to break, but for the smokers who choose to use one of the most popular smoking cessation drugs on the market, new warnings about the risk of serious cardiovascular events are on their way.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is conducting the first ever, randomized, controlled clinical research study in the country using Brainwave Optimization™ to treat people with insomnia. Brainwave Optimization™ is a non-invasive technology that helps the brain balance itself for optimal performance.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center allocated $179.5 million to programs and activities defined as community benefits during the 2010 fiscal year, an all-time high for the institution and an increase of $33.2 million, or 22.7 percent, over the previous year’s record total.

Ivor Hill, M.D., M.B., Ch.B.,professor of Pediatrics at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been awarded theDistinguished Service Award by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN).

Infants born to mothers who received the influenza (flu) vaccine while pregnant are nearly 50 percent less likely to be hospitalized for the flu than infants born to mothers who did not receive the vaccine while pregnant, according to a new collaborative study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.

Recent research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center draws on the findings of previously published studies to further understanding about how marijuana affects the brains of chronic users, with specific focus on how the drug affects the decision-making process.

Over the past decade, much progress has been made regarding the understanding and promise of personalized medicine. Scientists are just beginning to consider the impact of gene-diet interactions in different populations in regards to disease prevention and treatment.

This weekend, more than one dozen Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center employees continued sorting through more boxes of materials found yesterday at properties and storage units of a former employee charged with felony larceny of medical center paperwork and records. The former employee, Linda Turner, who was fired June 1, has been fully cooperative in assisting medical center staff in retrieving the materials. All of the materials are being carefully examined, assessed and inventoried.

The North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (NC OEMS) has chosena Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center emergency medicine physician to be the new director of the State Emergency Medical Services.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center presents its first Livestrong Cancer Transitions Program beginning June 2. This free six-week workshop will help cancer survivors make the transition from active treatment to post-treatment care.

The registration deadlinefor the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Translational Science Institute (TSI) and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (IEI) Innovation Summit has been extended to June 6 and is open to the public. The daylong event will focus on drug discovery, chemical biology, drug delivery, innovation and collaboration.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center participated in the Wilkes Regional Medical Center groundbreaking event on May 11 for the expansion of the Emergency Department (ED) and the addition of a new heart center.

Four teams of high-level executive and legislative branch decision makers from South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia have completed a late-April policy development workshop offered by the Addiction Studies Program for the States (ASP), which is supported by Wake Forest School of Medicine.

A new discovery in mice by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center may one day allow doctors to spare some patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) from toxic treatments, while also opening the door for new therapeutic research.

Researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine have developed what is believed to be the first on-line teaching and training modules for medical students aimed at improving outcomes for overweight and obese patients – www.newlifestyle.org.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has partnered with the Hope Outreach Church in High Point by donating a 48-foot tractor trailer to deliver donated goods to people who have been affected by the recent tornadoes in Alabama.

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center sheds light on what causes certain kidneys to do better than others after being transplanted, providing doctors with an easy way to screen for donor kidneys that have the best chance of survival.

Cheryl E. H. Locke, vice president and chief human resources officer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has been recognized as an honoree in The Business Journal’s 12th-annual Women in Business awards program.

Charles L. Branch, M.D., chair and professor of Neurosurgery at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has been named one of the Best Spine Surgeons and Specialists in America by Becker's Orthopedic & Spine's Annual Review.

More than 100,000 patients who suffer from severe aortic stenosis, a condition that restricts blood flow from the heart to the body, are ineligible for open-heart valve replacement surgery. Today, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center announced the enrollment of the first three patients in North Carolina to receive transcatheter aortic-valve implantation (TAVI) as part of the Medtronic CoreValve® U.S. Clinical Trial.

Despite a growing number of cities instituting smoking bans across the country, hookah bars are cropping up everywhere – from chic downtown cafes to locations near college campuses, where they’ve found a loyal customer base in young adults.

A new study done by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center sheds light on the increasingly popular pastime, and the results are discouraging.

Kathryn E. Weaver, Ph.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, set out to characterize patterns and context of smoking among recently diagnosed cancer patients and their family caregivers.

The Wake Forest School of Medicine (WFSM) announces collaboration with Appalachian State University's College of Health Sciences. The intention of this collaboration is to provide students with an opportunity to have learning

Dermatologist Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., has been researching what’s known as “contagious itch.” Contagious itch is visually transmitted and anecdotal evidence suggests it occurs in daily life when we see other people itch and scratch, he said.

For a patient at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), keeping up with what pills to take at different times of the day can be tedious. Window sills lined with prescription bottles – a pill for cholesterol, another for blood pressure, and an aspirin to keep blood thin and flowing – the list can get quite long and, as a result, many people, especially the elderly, often forget doses or take the wrong pill at the wrong time.

But what if there was a single pill that had all the benefits of multiple medications in one dose? Would people take it? Would doctors prescribe it? And would it be effective?

A new study done by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center provides evidence that, in fact, such a pill may be a viable option for developing countries, where CVD is strongly emerging and the demand for cost-effective, low maintenance treatment is high.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the American Heart Association (AHA) will host a free shredding day on Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., in the parking lot of Miller Plaza, located at 2200 Cloverdale Ave.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center today revealed the first physical evidence of its full integration this morning, announcing a change in the names of its integrated clinical structure, that of its educational and research enterprises and a new visual identity.

Brain Awareness Week, which is an international observance of the benefits and promise of brain research from March 14 to March 20, 2011, has grown in Winston-Salem to include several major activities throughout March and April, for participants of all ages and backgrounds.

Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues reported today on a new advance in tissue engineering. The team is the first in the world to use patients’ own cells to build tailor-made urinary tubes and successfully replace damaged tissue.

Physician Assistant students and faculty from Wake Forest School of Medicine left the confines of the classroom and took to the halls of the U.S. Congress, meeting with Sens. Richard Burr, Kay Hagan and Rep. Virginia Foxx to discuss important issues regarding the PA profession.

More than 200,000 patients annually in the United States can't have a MRI scan because they have an implanted pacemaker. TheWake Forest Baptist Medical Center cardiology team is the first in the Triad to implant the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan pacing system into a patient. This new Food and Drug Administration approved device will now allow millions of patients needing pacemakers to safely have MRI scans.

A feasibility study to test the use of a scalp cooling device that breast cancer patients will wear while undergoing chemotherapy treatment will be conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. This will be part of the first significant study of the medical device in the United States.

The Biomedical Informatics Program (BMIP) attheWake Forest School of Medicine is hosting an Innovation Summit at the Benton Convention Center on Wednesday, March 2.The Summit will focus on mobile computing technology for research and clinical care support.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center scientists are using an imaging technology called magnetoencephalography (MEG) to look into the brains of epilepsy patients with childhood absence seizures. The researchers are trying to determine whether these seizures can be “seen” prior to the involvement of the whole brain. If this is possible, then perhaps less harmful drugs could be used to interrupt the seizures before they start.

The Blazeman Foundation for ALS has awarded a grant of $11,300, with the possibility of providing an additional $11,000, to support research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) being conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

The Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has joined with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine to form the Virginia Tech/Wake Forest Center for Veterinary Regenerative Medicine (CVRM). Researchers from both organizations will work collaboratively to develop new regenerative medicine treatments for animals and human patients.

The Wake Forest Baptist Outpatient Imaging Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography, CT, ultrasound and MRI as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

The Pediatric Sleep Center at Brenner Children’s Hospital, part of Wake Forest Baptist, has been awarded a five-year term of accreditation as a result of a review by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) has received Chest Pain Center accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC), an international organization dedicated to eliminating heart disease as the number one cause of death worldwide.

In The News

On March 20, seniors at Wake Forest School of Medicine learned where they will begin their careers as doctors at Match Day,an annual event at which graduating medical students learn where they’ll be doing their residencies. This year 113 Wake Forest medical students, 59 men and 54 women, matched in 20 specialties.

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